Eden Paletz - Perth

I decided to do the March for numerous reasons. To me, all the text books, worksheets and movies are stories. However, for these people, the ones who lived through it, it is a real life experience and a significant part of their existence. On this trip I wished to cement all the images and texts from class in my mind and attach a reality to the events they aim to portray.

Seeing movies, images and reading texts will never compare to actually being there and engaging all of my senses in the camps themselves. As those who lived through it perish, we have an increasing obligation to ensure remembrance and preservation of the details of the Holocaust. I feel as though going on the trip and bearing testimony to the sights of these events, equips a more educated and accurate understanding to be passed on.

I also wanted to gain a new perspective on life through the testimonies of survivors and obtain a greater appreciation for the seemingly simple things in life, often taken for granted. Things that are just handed to me, like a good education and time with family. These people essentially lost in the game of life before even rolling the dice. They were stripped of their personal assets, names, families - and entire identity and sense of being. Children were robbed of their childhoods and adults of their most basic rights.

To be able to March with survivors through the places where they were at the lowest points in their lives is an indescribable experience that I wish everyone could be a part of. The March Of the Living was a once in a lifetime experience that will stay with me forever.